True Form
by luvdawinx
Summary: Every four decades or so, a painful and vicious transformation occurs within all the full-blooded demons around the world. With everybody he loves' lives on the line, Yuuri must face the dangers in order to find the only known cure that can save them all, while at the same time watching the pains and tragedies that lay about him.
1. Chapter 1: True Reiteration

**Summary: Every four decades or so, a vicious and painful transformation occurs within all the full-blooded demons throughout the world. This transformation becomes a danger to both the demons and the humans, and every monarch who has reigned over the Great Demon Kingdom has had to face the challenges. Many eras were saddening, all horrifying, and only a few were still able to remain under control. And now, it is time for the first era for whoever is the 27th monarch. With everyone including the people he loves' lives on the line, current Maou Yuuri Shibuya must now face these dangers as he begins his search for the only known cure that will save them all, while at the same time being forced to witness the pains and tragedies that lay about him.**

**Warnings: Dark themes, details of gore, character death(s), slight modifications to characters' personalities, Post AU, yaoi, small ounces of language, etc. The pairing is going to be a pre-established Yuuram. If you don't like Yuuram, yaoi, or gore please turn back now.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kyo Kara Maoh!, nor do I own the characters. This story was created for readers/fans of the anime/fandom's enjoyment, as well as for my own enjoyment, of course.**

* * *

Chapter 1: True Reiteration

The 14th Demon King, Jacob von Akillius, held the scroll that contained the very poem in his hands. He was foolish to think he could escape the dangers of this event with such ease. He didn't even think of his own subjects, the citizens of the Demon Kingdom. Although he possessed the solution to this chaos, he had used it for selfish purposes. First he healed himself, and then his wife, children, his family, and close friends. The others he chose to leave for dead. So what happened after he made this idiotic decision? All those whom he chose to save were later killed in the great onslaught by the very beasts he was trying to protect them from. If he used the power of this solution, everything would be at peace just like how it ended up being for the previous monarchs who had to deal with this.

He peered through the crack of the door to the cellar, where he sat hiding in. The beasts have rampaged his castle, and for all he knows he could be the last survivor of the attack. Without moving the door he looked about of the remains of his castle. Paintings have been brought down and were torn into shreds. Vases, busts, and other fragile artifacts of the sort have been shattered into pieces and dust. Curtains have been ripped viciously, claw marks still visible. Windows were broken from when the beasts first attacked the castle. Some areas visible to his eye were engulfed in small flames, and now ashes were beginning to form.

When he heard the growls of the very beasts and saw their shadows coming into view, the king decided to no longer look around and proceeded to close the cellar door. By closing the door the magical barrier embedded within it would activate once he locked it. Then he could simply wait out in the room until hopefully, just hopefully, the beasts have gone away or have died out. Halfway through closing the door he cursed under his breath, for it gave off a small squeak. He froze for the moment, praying that they did not hear him. At the sound of nothing he decided to peek through the crack, which was shorter in width now.

Fear-filled eyes met those of three beasts. They immediately smashed the door away, causing Jacob to fly a few feet backwards onto his back. The beasts entered the cellar, deathly auras surrounding them and dark, dark eyes that were the black voids to his death. The one in front pounced on top of the foolish king, but he was holding its face back with his arms. With this action the other two joined in on the attack by slowly ripping his arms off his body.

"Someone!" he cried out, even though he knew no one would hear him as there was no one left in the castle but him. "Someone please help me! Hel-!" His screams of help were replaced with those of great agony. Growls and snarls from the beasts echoed throughout the opened halls as they bit and tore through his body as one. The screams eventually died out, along with the very life of the foolish king.

After the beasts finished finishing off Jacob von Akillius' corpse, the three left the cellar with fresh blood and guts all over their jaws. Inside the room blood was flowing in ribbons and then into pools from the torn up body. The arms were, indeed, separated from the rest of him, lying motionless in a pile above his head. His abdomen had been opened, as seen by the black bite marks, and what could be seen that have been ripped out of his body were the leftover intestines, both large and small, a third of a stomach, and half of what used to be a liver, and his spleen was gone. Up the ripped up chest area, only half of his left lung was left. All of his rib bones were cracked away, a couple of the bones on the floor, both in and out of the blood puddles, next to him.

There was another man in the cellar, though he was smart enough to hide deeper within the cellar to avoid being found. This man was Lord Jasper von Akillius, Jacob von Akillius' younger brother by two years whom he had deserted for dead while trying to run away. He had chosen to hide in the cellar a half hour before his foolish brother entered it himself. He had chosen to watch as Jacob was viciously killed by the beasts, feeling that the man had gotten what he deserved for not paying attention to the welfare of his kingdom.

Once he found it safe to come out, Jasper left his hiding spot to kneel over his dead older brother. He smirked before replacing it with a serious look. "You really were an idiot, Brother Jacob," he whispered. His eyes caught the scroll in the corpse's hands, and so he picked it up. "It was very stupid of you, choosing to only protect those whom you thought were 'worthy' only to have them all die in the end. But as you can see, Brother, I am not dead." He then searched through the dead king's clothes and found a box the size of his hands. "Ah, so this is where you have kept the one thing that could have saved everyone from this despair. You could have used this to save yourself, you know." The box he had set next to him so he may unroll the scroll, the parchment that contained the very poem passed down from monarch to monarch. He hummed softly to himself as he read the contents.

_Petals colored like that of an angel's soul  
powers that are too great to describe  
I am the Flower of Heaven's Miracles  
no other flower is more pure than I_

___Skies shall roar upon my birth and reawakening  
beasts shall bow to me wherever I grow  
I am both the Lord and Lady of Life's Elements  
and I shall save those who hang by death's threads_

_Only those with pure intentions will survive  
the long journey to obtain my precious being  
I am the Blossom of Necromantic Challenges  
I am the life and death to those still alive_

___I am found where the heavens are seen clearly  
I am the one most exotic yet the most plain  
I am the Floret of Heaven and Hell  
So, who shall dare to search for me?_

Having finished reading, Jasper stood up with the rolled-up scroll and the box in his hands. He gave one last glance at his fallen brother and smirked once more. "You really were an idiot, Brother Jacob." With that last sentence he exited the cellar, ready to finish what the fool of a king had started.

This historic event was not only known as the True Form of the 14th Rule, but also known as the Requiem of the 15th Rule, for after Jasper von Akillius used the solution in the box to save the demons and humans alike he had become the 15th Demon King. This event had set an example for future monarchs, where it had taught them to think wisely, to not be selfish, and to not be foolish. No other True Form era has ever been as tragic and horrid as the era when it was under the rule of Jacob von Akillius, and the hope was that there would never be another time like that again.

The hope died about twelve to thirteen monarchies later...

* * *

Yuuri Shibuya worked through the pile of paperwork set on his desk, which was growing smaller every five minutes or so. He had been working hard all day, making sure that he hasn't missed a single page. In just half a year after humans and demons have made peace he started taking his role as king a little more seriously. By doing so he would be able to keep things in line in order to maintain the peace he has worked so hard in creating in the first place.

A knock on the door was heard, and the double black looked up to shout that it was unlocked before returning to his papers. On the other side Wolfram von Bielefeld stood after opening the door. He closed the door behind him and made his way to Yuuri's desk to watch how attentively he was while he worked. For half a year it has been like this. Sometimes he would wake up in the middle of the night and find the boy finishing up some papers that he failed to finish before the end of the afternoon. Although he understood that being king was a big responsibility, the blonde had learned that one has to loosen up some and so thought he was taking reading over and signing papers a bit too seriously. Ironic how the two were the almost complete opposites of who they were now, unlike how they used to be when they first met.

In just a minute Wolfram was bored of watching him. "Gods, you treat signing papers as if they are your second love," he sighed. That got the young king's attention. He set the quill down and looked up at the blonde.

"And who would be my first?" Yuuri allowed his left hand to slide upon the wood and entwine his fingers with the more pale ones of the right hand that had set itself upon the desk. Wolfram flushed and looked to the side. "C'mon, you say papers are my second love, so that means something, or some_one_, else is my first. Now who would that be?" Still, not a word out of the other. "Okay, then can we play the guessing game? Who is blonde, has green eyes, very sexy in bed-"

"Okay! Okay! It's me! You don't have to go any further! Now just shut up and do your work!" Wolfram can never handle listening to the guessing game, for he thought Yuuri was being too descriptive. That gave the other the impression that this blonde was just simply being shy.

Yuuri stood up and, with their hands still connected to one another, pinned the older one against the wall. "I am afraid I can't do that, Wolfram," he chuckled softly.

"And why not?"

"Because I already finished my work the moment you got here." Wolfram looked over at the desk and found that all but one paper was in the finished side. However when looked at closely the paper already had Yuuri's signature. Oh yeah, he was screwed big time. Especially when he felt the hot lips pressed against his own, much to his shock. His first instinct was to escape the area, for this office was like the double black's territory. But then again, Yuuri's onyx black eyes read the words "Resistance is futile".

* * *

A woman from the village of the Demon Kingdom had arrived on horseback at the front gates to Covenant Castle, where two guards were standing by on their patrol. She had pale blue curly hair with light purple streaks and eyes the color of sapphires, and she was dressed in a plain blue dress with a white scarf around her neck. Upon her face were the emotions of seriousness, calmness, and fear mixed together. She hopped off her horse and grabbed at the reins to lead her on foot so she may be up close to the soldiers whom she saw. As expected, the two soldiers came up to her.

"State your name," one of them told her.

"Cassandra Ryller," was the reply.

"Your business at the castle?" the other had asked. What she said, along with how calm it sounded, had surprised the men.

"Put me in the dungeons of this castle," she had said. Before they could ask her she had already answered them. "Please, the condition I am in is not suited for the normal lifestyle in the village. If I continue to live in the village everyone would be in grave danger." The two men looked at each other and then back at her. Then they asked her what could possibly be wrong with her. For all they could see, she looked as healthy as the horse that followed her. She had one of them hold the reins to the horse so she may remove her scarf from around her neck. They stared at what she had revealed to them, and then the one who was not holding the reins called to the towers up high along the walls, telling the soldiers who were stationed there to open the gates.

She looked to them, expression now filled with gratitude. "Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you so much. You have seen that I must be stored away before I become the beast that manifests within me."

* * *

"Damn you, Yuuri Shibuya!"

"I am going to kill you when this is over, Yuuri!"

"Ah-hah! No, stop! Not fair, Yuuri!"

These, among many other things, were what could be heard from inside Yuuri's office. Wolfram very much hated it when he was trapped in Yuuri's "territories". The office was one of them. In these "territories" he would be victim to who knows what the double black could think of. But still, the boy was like an open book so there have been times when pictures did not have to be drawn.

A sharp and loud banging on the door was what interrupted them from whatever that was taking place. While the two straightened themselves out and made sure nothing was out of place Yuuri called for whoever was there to come in. However with how hard the knock was they already knew Gwendal von Voltaire was there. He looked at the two and, managing to push away any thoughts of what they could have possibly been doing, had them follow him to a destination unknown to them at the moment.

Their destination was revealed to be the dungeons, where the groans and shouts of a few bandits and other criminals bounced off the dark stone walls. Gwendal led them past the ordinary cells of the prisoners to finally the end. They walked down another spiral staircase, going deeper underground. Usually the most infamous criminals are put down here, but there were none as there have been no major crimes. These cells, unlike the ordinary ones above, did not have barred doors but ones made of white stone so it contrasted with the dark gray ones that built this prison. Next to the door was a large window, which gave them a view of the only person inside: a woman with curled locks of blue, who was sitting on a bed with a hard mattress and a small pillow, and was reading a book.

When the stoic man opened the door, the woman looked up and closed her book. She stood up and bowed to the two lords and king with a soft smile. Gwendal told the two younger boys who she was.

"This is Cassandra Ryller from the village," he explained. "Before you two ask, this woman is, indeed, not a criminal of any sorts. However there is a reason behind why she has been put in one of the cells made for the more dangerous criminals." He looked over at the woman. "Ma'am, would you please remove your scarf?"

"Of course." With that, she unwrapped her soft white scarf from around her neck, letting it fall to the ground when finished. Yuuri and Wolfram's eyes became as large as saucers. On her neck, which had been hidden by her scarf this entire time, was a large black spot. It lasted from the collarbone to the almost to the nape, and there was a small tint of purple in the middle. When looked at closely it seemed to be moving ever so slowly. Now that this spot was visible she looked as if someone had abused her greatly, even with that soft smile upon her face.

Yuuri, out of curiosity, reached out to touch the woman's neck. He had never seen such a bruise, such a large and painful-looking bruise. When his fingers almost touched her skin she smacked his hand away, and then crouched down to cower in fear.

"Forgive me for slapping your hand, Your Majesty!" she yelled. "However I can not have you touch the spot! The beast shall awaken! The beast shall awaken!"

Before he could ask what she was talking about, Gwendal took a place at her side and helped her up. "This is why I brought you two down here. In a matter of as short as a week from today, we will be experiencing yet another True Form era. Your Majesty, I am in hopes that Gunter has taught you about what the True Form eras are."

"Actually," Yuuri said, "he only mentioned it a couple times during our lessons, but that was it. I asked him once about it, and he told me he'd teach me as tomorrow's lessons."

"We must have you learn of what shall be in store _today_, then!" Wolfram chimed in. "Yuuri, it is _imperative_ that you learn what this is before any damage can be done to the kingdom and everywhere else around the world! After all, as king you have to be the one to give out the orders for high security and even quarantines. The True Form eras are something not to be taken lightly, and so it is best to set everything up beforehand. Do you understand?" The double black nodded in understanding; if both Wolf and Gwendal were serious about something, and it involves the matters of the world, then he is sure that he must learn as much as possible, and then prepare any special precautions. And with that, they left and closed the door to Cassandra's cell to leave for the castle.

* * *

Gunter already knew why the three were meeting him in the library. He had all the history books and even journals he thought were necessary, which were set up in a stack on the side of the table. Yuuri sat down on the chair in front of the table, staring down one of the books laid out in front of him. A picture of a large black shadow with uneven edges, a dark purple aura, and piercing red eyes stared back at the young king. Its mouth was open, revealing sets of long, pointed, and jagged teeth that seem capable of ripping through anything. Underneath this shadow was a drawing of a shadow-like snake with a couple purple glowing scales here and there, beady red eyes, and long curved fangs. Both of these pictures reminded Yuuri of a horror novel he once read.

"The True Form era," the lavender-haired man explained, "is a period within the duration of every four to five decades where all full-blooded demons transform into gruesome monsters. The pictures shown in the book are examples of what these monsters look like. The shadow-like figure on top is the early or 'normal' version of what the demons turn into during the later stages of the transformation. On the bottom is an example of what demons become after going through the complete alteration, in which they turn into a more animal-like beast."

Wolfram shifted in his seat next to Yuuri. He looked away from the pictures with an uneasy expression. Yuuri sort of understood why he would not want to see this. After all, he must have witnessed seeing people turning into things similar to the monsters in the pictures. For all he knew Wolfram probably went through this transformation himself since he has been alive longer than four to five decades and is a full-blooded demon. He could only imagine what the other inhabitants of the castle have experienced, as almost everyone has lived here longer than he could count. In hopes of providing some sort of support he slipped his right hand under the table to grasp at the blonde's left and squeezed it. Wolfram looked back and smiled softly.

"Full-blooded demons," Gunter continued, "are very powerful when going through this transformation. They are so powerful, and not to mention dangerous, that they are capable of destroying a whole town and killing everyone within it in one full night. Houseski stones are supposed to bear smaller effects when they are like this, and many times these stones that have been the only known weakness of us do not even inflict any damage when we are like this. When a beast exhausts more than half of its energy, which, however, takes a very long time in order for that to happen, they turn into the more shadow-like figures shown above in order to preserve energy. While resting or recovering, as in both forms they have healing powers of their own, they will turn back into their human form, but will still be under the influence of the transformation's powers. There have also been instances where they are able to fight against the powers as hard as to regain their true consciousness, but the effects of this do not last long before they return to their beast form again.

"Early stages of the transformation are identified when black spots are revealed on the skin, and these pulse throughout the rest of the body. These spots are the effects of the transformation's powers beginning to settle into the body, and these are known as the Obsidian Gashes. Once the Obsidian Gashes spread out and affect the entire body the demon is developed in its black, shadowy aura as if they were possessed by evil spirits. However, the powers do not go into full swing until the demon willingly gives in, and that is the start of the transformation. When the first person to start showing the signs of the Obsidian Gashes on their body it is the sign that a True Form era is to start soon."

"Why are these time periods called True Form eras?" the double black asked.

"You see, when a full-blooded demon transforms, each one has unique appearances in both the shadow and beast forms, as well as possess their own special powers. These are supposed to be the looks and powers of what that demon is actually like, as if looking in to see what they really are, _who_ they really are. It was decided to have these time periods be named the True Form eras because of these reasons."

"I see... now, do half-blooded demons or humans possess any transformations similar?"

"No, but there are those rare moments in which a half-blood are capable of this, but it all depends on whether the demon or the human blood is stronger. Humans do not have anything like this at all, but they are the victims of a demon in their true form. The killings may even be worse this time since there has been an increase in demon citizens living on human lands, so the humans are in greater danger this year."

The man returned to his explanation on the True Form transformations. "During the early stages, in which the Obsidian Gashes are being identified and are starting to spread to the rest of the body, the one experiencing it will or may suffer from migraines, nausea, irritability, mood and or personality changes, blunted effects... a few of many symptoms that can be found in disorders and head injuries such as concussions and schizophrenia. Later on, the subject will begin to have more critical symptoms such as violent behavior, withdrawal, major fatigue, and so on. The symptoms can go on and last for long durations of time. One constant symptom that occurs no matter where in the stages is suicidal behavior, and many people have killed themselves before saying they could not handle suffering like this. Children suffer the same effects and just as severely as older people do, but since they are more vulnerable children as young as their toddler years have been known to die during the stages and even after complete transformation. The speed of the Obsidian Gashes increase whenever that person feels despair, self doubt, is suffering greatly from the symptoms, etcetera. Matter of fact, the spreading may be so fast that someone could transform faster than others."

Yuuri thought over what he just learned. This was not good at all. He had been working so hard to keep the peace he finally made happen between the humans and demons. If the demons were to attack the humans because of the True Form era, then all his hard work would be undone. The humans would see them as a threat again and possibly spark another war. Wolfram was right, this was a situation not to be taken lightly. No wonder Cassandra Ryller was being held in the cells like a quarantined monster. Because she _is_ a quarantined monster. And if he were not to do something, everyone else would join in on her suffering.

"Is there any kind of cure?"

"There is, but it is too early to bring it out of the treasure room. You see, the solution only takes effect once it senses that the True Form era is officially starting. The case with Miss Ryller is that she has contracted the stages at an earlier time before anyone else. However, as soon as we know the era is about to begin we can get rid of it before any real damage takes place."

"I see, but that doesn't mean I can't set up any precautions." He stood up and looked at his advisor. "Gunter, I need you to send out letters to all of the kingdoms from our alliance, and inform them on the situation and to spread the word to other kingdoms. Can you do that?"

"Of course, Your Majesty."

"Thank you." He turned to his other advisor. "Gwendal, please gather as many troops as you can so we may head for town. I find it best to inform that the True Form era is coming myself because the citizens of the village trust me. Make sure to also find Gisela along with any other healers so we can perform checkups on everyone. Is that clear?"

"I'll see to it, Your Majesty."

"Good." Finally, he had Wolfram stand up so he can look at him straight in the eyes. "Wolfram, I need you to gather your men as well just in case things get out of hand. Also, I need to have a word with you right now, if that's okay." He looked to the other two men, who nodded and left the library so they may speak alone and to carry out the king's orders.

Wolfram looked down, finding the small dust bunnies near his feet amusing. Yuuri took his chin between his index finger and thumb so they could look at each other once more. "I need to know, Wolf. Have you ever gone through this transformation before? Just tell me yes or no, and that's it. I don't want any full details at the moment." The blonde nodded. "Then... are you going to be okay?" Unlike the tone of a responsible king that had made an appearance just before, this tone was full of worry and sounded even more compassionate.

Blinking his emerald green eyes, he lifted up his right arm to cup the other's left cheek. "I promise you, I'll be okay. I haven't gotten the signs of the Obsidian Gashes yet, so I still have more time to prepare myself. Sure it's only happened to me once before, but I'm sure I can endure the transformation long enough. Besides, once the solution needed is taken out of the treasure room I'll probably still be in this form. Do you trust my word?" Yuuri nodded, leaning his cheek against the soft hand some more. "Thank you, now we should go and prepare to leave." He moved by to leave, but was halted when he realized the double black had a grip on his wrist. "Yuuri?" he questioned.

Yuuri did not know what to say, what to feel. Should he still be at least a little doubtful of what his lover has to say? Wolfram has only gone through one transformation, after all. He said he could handle it, but Yuuri knew just experiencing something once would not make you better prepared for next time. He did not even want to think that there would be such a thing as a "next time". He knew he has to trust him, he told himself that he has to be able to trust Wolfram without doubting him. With this whole True Form era coming near, he had a feeling he might have to go back on the vow he made.

And what about all the other full-blooded demons? If too much chaos is spread to the human lands, trust broken between the two races of demons and humans might be broken. He did not want anyone face any more suffering, any more despair coming from both sides. With this True Form era on its way, he knew preventing any suffering was out of the solution. The best he can do is just hope that the suffering will end as fast as it starts. He has to make sure everything is taken care of so that at least nothing will come up as a surprise.

He looked to the blonde, the one who has loved him no matter what choices he made, no matter what stupid actions he took while he was still trying to get used to being a king. Just by trusting in Wolfram that it was going to be okay, he felt a sheet of stress fall from his shoulders. He smiled, and took the lead out the room.

"Nothing," he said, "I just wanted to make sure that you weren't lying."

"Why would I ever lie to you, Yuuri? You know that you can trust me. Come on, we need to stop stalling so we can go." That was exactly what he wanted to hear in order to cheer himself up. He squeezed Wolfram's hand, and took the lead so they may exit the library and prepare to go into town.

* * *

**Chapter 1 is DONE! Yes! *fist pumps* Well, I hope you all enjoyed that first chappie, especially since this is the first time I'm going to write something more dark and serious for the KKM fandom, and this is as well as the first time I have added a pre-established Yuuram relationship (WHE and TDOF(?) do not count!) . ****Remember how I said in order to keep myself balanced I will have to finish a multi-chapter story in order to start a new one? Well, I figured that since I keep writing all these oneshots I thought "Why not and go ahead write a multi-chapter fic, anyways?" I always knew I was going to go back on that promise anyways.**

**What's the inspiration for this fic? Well, I really do admire horror fics despite only reading those on the Deadman Wonderland fandom area because I love bloodshed and gore, and also for some reason I like to torture the naïve ones with killings and stuff. I also recall in Black Butler that demons from that area of demon-related anime have "true forms", as seen with Sebastian Michaelis near the end of Season 1. I figured that if demons from that anime have "true forms", there should be something like that for KKM as well. However what makes this fic different from BB is that I plan on making this be more horrific like a scary story kind of thing rather than demons transforming on will.**

**So... I hope for reviews so that I may know what the audience wants to see or what they are expecting (not sure I can do any promises on meeting a lot of those expectations, if any, though). Please go easy, and any flames will be fired back in the forms of actual fireballs by Wolfram-chan, whom I wish I can have all to myself for at least one day.**


	2. Chapter 2: True Vows

**Here's Chappie 2 for the readers out there!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned KKM, there would be a KKM movie out for you all to see already... So as you can see I. Own. Nothing.**

**Warnings for this Chapter: There's a little bit of angst in this chapter because of Wolfram's memories. A bit of Yuuram fluff here and there, too.**

**Warning for after this Chapter: I have a rant that is like over 900 to 1,000 words... Just skip it if you want... It was like, 17 lines when I was writing it on the Doc Manager. Yeah...**

* * *

Chapter 2: True Vows

Yuuri looked up to the skies while riding Ao on the way to town. Wolfram rode beside him on Frieda, and when it was learned they were leaving the castle Conrad joined them. Soldiers of different ranks followed the three from behind, some on horseback and some on foot. After explaining the situation Gisela and many other healers came to help with the king's important errand. Yuuri, too, knew she would be needed over the course of this upcoming era.

It was his duty as king to make sure everyone makes through this. He needed to make sure things were set up before any damage can be thrown, any sort of setbacks could begin, but most of all he had to keep the people safe. He was determined to prevent any harm from taking place, like the very few monarchs before whom he learned about along the ride there from soldiers and Conrad.

He heard of the 5th Demon Queen Peyton Von Farling, who was not only the first Demon Queen in the line of monarchies but also ruled the first era where the solution was used before any major harm was caused to anyone. There was the 9th Demon King Quincy Von Gaylord, who during his reign Shin Makoku only suffered one day of the full transformation attacking. After his reign the same man would have died from his own transformation if not his son Quinn were to use the solution to cure him along with everybody in time.

Then he heard of the 14th Demon King Jacob Von Akillius. This person was the ruler of Shin Makoku at its worst True Form era ever. He was selfish and dense, only using the solution to heal only his family and closest friends. His subjects and the humans he left to die and also experience the horrible transformation. As a retribution for his sins he was killed on the last day of his era, in which his younger brother Jasper then used the solution to heal everyone else and also took his place as king. Yuuri did not like Jacob for betraying his people, and he admired Jasper for saving everyone when his brother chose not to. He knew that he would never turn his back on Shin Makoku or the humans, he internally swore on it.

Wolfram looked from Yuuri at his side to the path ahead. Then he looked down. He had_ lied_ to Yuuri, or at least he believed he did. It was only one time, and yet he said he was going to be fine. He recalled how scared he was when he transformed long ago as a child around his forties, eight years old in human years. He remembered how the Obsidian Gashes all over his body were spreading so quickly because of his fear and other depressing emotions. He remembered wanting to jump into his mother's arms so she could tell him everything was okay, but Lady Celi had already succumbed to the transformation by then. Worst of all, he could recall how when he opened his eyes after he was cured, there were corpses and blood everywhere and all over himself. That was what made him cry out of all that he had gone through, the thought that he,_ just a child_ back then, killed dozens of innocent people. No one ever told him that the children had the strongest true forms, especially when just transforming for the first time, until after the events of the second True Form of the 26th Rule; most monarchies have experienced these eras more than once during their rules.

"Are you okay, Wolf?" Yuuri asked him, snapping the blonde out of his terrifying thoughts. "You look tense... What were you thinking about? I mean, if it's okay to ask you and you're fine with answering, of course." Yuuri, so sincere and compassionate towards others. Wolfram loved that side everyone knew. He was kind and loyal to everybody. It was that side no one could get enough of.

"I'm just thinking about when I was younger, the time of the first True Form era I've ever experienced. No one can even imagine how scared I was back then. I didn't know how to control my emotions or myself in general, which was why I suffered so much." He looked at Yuuri and his eyes became as wide as the other's. "... W-Well," he tried to make things sound better, "now that I've grown and have learned from my mistakes I know what to expect. There is most likely no way that I will act like how I did when I was younger. I know better now."

"... 'Most likely'?"

Wolfram said nothing.

Conrad rode up closer to Yuuri on his other side and whispered, "Please don't ask Wolfram anymore questions for now. I was there when he first transformed, and he gets uneasy when talking about it. Between you and me, this is the first time in_ twenty years_ since he's ever given someone even a little information of his experiences during that time. Just be glad he told you that much."

So Yuuri was lucky. He actually got Wolfram to talk about his past, probably when others failed. Maybe it was because they trusted each other above anyone else, and so Wolfram found it easy to tell him such things he never spoke of with anyone else. It made him smile softly to know that their trust and love had no boundaries, that no secrets was enough to draw a line.

* * *

When they reached the town, the ordinary life was going on as usual. Children were running around, laughing and playing games, while their parents chatted somewhere where they could still keep an eye on the younglings. The markets were lively with the sales going on, mostly around where the produce and livestock were being sold. The large group tied their horses' reins to a nearby post before entering on foot.

Somewhere along the way down that path, a little boy with pale blue-colored hair and bright green eyes was running away from a slightly older girl who had light purple curly locks with blue streaks and sapphire blue eyes. They laughed as the girl chased the boy in their game of tag, though the boy was not watching where he was going. He was running backwards so he could stick out his tongue in front of the girl before bumping into someone. He shook his head after falling on his bottom and looked up to see who he ran into. From his upside-down vision he saw black hair and onyx black eyes. A double black. That could only mean...

"Oh my gosh, it's King Yuuri!" the girl gasped before he could. This grabbed the attention of the other people currently inhabiting the area. Yuuri sighed in defeat; at least he made halfway before someone recognizing him, especially since he was not wearing his brown hair dye and colored contacts. He helped the little boy up and dusted him off. The girl rushed over to grab him. "S-S-Sorry, Your Majesty. My brother and I were only playing and-"

"There's no need to apologize. It was just an accident," Yuuri replied. "Say, before I keep walking would you like to tell me where your father or mother is? I don't want you two to be running off on your own and then end up getting lost with all the people today."

"That would be me, sir." A man with light violet hair and green eyes came up to Yuuri and bowed slightly. "It's an honor to meet you, King Yuuri. My name is Carter Ryller, and these are my kids Caitlyn and Calisto. I believe you should have already met my wife, Cassandra Ryller."

"H-H-How..."

Carter Ryller's face turned grim. "She told me this morning that she had to come to Covenant Castle and the reason why. I had a feeling that she had to eventually meet you so you can spread this word that it was going to be starting soon. Please tell me, is she alright? How are the marks?" He scooted his children off to go play by the fountain while he was having a "grown up conversation". "I haven't told my kids why she left yet. All I said was that she was going out for a while. They have never experienced nor do they even know what the True Form eras are."

Conrad stepped forward and shook hands with the man. "I haven't met her in person yet, but what I've been told she is doing fine. She's being kept in the emergency cells for this kind of situation." Then he went straight to the point. "His Majesty will be announcing what's going on at the town square, and it is highly recommended that you listen, as well as everyone else. Care to accompany our walk over there?" The other man kindly accepted the offer, and called for his children to come back over so they may head to the town square altogether.

* * *

As expected, a large crowd of almost everyone who lived in the village gathered when King Yuuri made his way to the podium on the performance stage, which was constantly used for the children's games and entertainment. Wolfram and Conrad stood at his sides, and the soldiers lined the front off the stage. Carter and his kids remained at the bottom of the steps at the side. The healers, under Gisela in her Sergeant Mode's command, were setting up a few tents behind the crowds wherever there was a large, opened area.

Silence swept the crowd as Yuuri cleared his throat so he may speak loud and clear to everyone. Unbeknownst to everyone else, since Wolfram's left side was covered by the podium, from standing very close to the double black, he was able to hide the fact he and his fiancé were holding hands. This was just to keep Yuuri calm while he spoke, a sign of reassurance that he was not going to mess up while speaking to a public audience.

He took a deep breath, and let his words naturally flow out when he was ready. "Afternoon everyone. As you know, I am Yuuri Shibuya, current monarch of Shin Makoku." He made sure to project the seriousness in the tone of his voice. "I have come to stand before you all today because I have an important announcement to make." For a brief pause, he allowed the flow of whispers grow throughout the crowd.

"I wonder what His Majesty's announcement is?"

"Don't we all?"

"Could it be a new project?"

"Maybe it has to do with his personal affairs?"

"Now why would he say something like that?"

"Even we have to know about His Majesty and Lord Wolfram's current status in their relationship, eventually..."

Yuuri decided to draw the line at the possibilities of what was new in his and Wolfram's relationship, and cleared his throat again to gain their attention. "Hopefully you all know," he continued, "about these events known as the True Form eras." A couple small gasps were collected from the shocked crowd. "This is why I came to speak with you all in person. Earlier this afternoon, a woman named Cassandra Ryller arrived at Covenant Castle and I saw what was happening to her. Cassandra Ryller has been identified as the first victim to the early stages of the Obsidian Gashes. From what I have learned so far, as soon as one person is caught with these black marks on their bodies... it is the sign that a True Form era will start soon."

The whispers became to sound more panicky as they erupted once more. Women looked more troubled than the men, who shared their own distressed expression upon their faces. The youngest of the children who were there began asking questions about what these True Form eras were. Yuuri was expecting this sort of reaction. The fire of his determination to make sure everyone made it through this upcoming event with little suffering grew brighter. He made a promise, and when he makes a promise he never goes back on them.

"Although I've just learned about what these True Form eras were, I promise that I will do my best to help all of Shin Makoku through this, starting with this very town. The healer of Covenant Castle Gisela as well as several other healers will be checking you all for any signs of the Obsidian Gashes. Please see Gisela if there are any problems or any more questions. Thank you."

It was done. He said what he needed to say, and he did it. Letting out an exhale of relief, he looked to Wolfram and lifted his eyebrows to suggest something. That was when it hit the blonde. They were still holding hands. Wolfram immediately let go, half successfully hiding the light pink blush from his embarrassment. Any public displays of their affection would surely attract the unwanted attention from girls and women, some who loved those two together more than others. Yuuri could only say they were fangirls.

* * *

Conrad accompanied the two's trip off the stage to see the people form lines outside of the tents Gisela and the other healers set up during the speech. Inside the tent the double green female was currently located at, the adults at the age range of their late 90s and above were being looked at. A couple healers from the group were examining two to three people at a time. Green glows came from all around as they used their magic to search within the patients for any symptoms and Obsidian Gashes. There was nothing so far. Gisela took notes on some paper she had attached to the clipboard for observations of each person.

They then went to the tent on the left, which was slightly smaller than the first one. It was the same thing taking place, and the one in charge of this tent was a man around his 120s with strawberry blonde hair in a short ponytail. Here most of the people who visited this area were from the age range of their late 60s to their late 90s. Yuuri's watching over the activity here was short-lived, however, when Wolfram abruptly pulled him out. When he peeked inside once more while said blonde was being given a short lecture from his older stepbrother, he understood why he was taken out of there so fast. Many girls, as well as some boys, who could pass off as Yuuri's human age were looking at him with infatuation. Even the man in charge had that lustful look in his eyes. So Wolfram was just being possessive, as usual, but thankfully that side had dimmed down some.

All the children, from infants to those in their mid-60s, were being taken to a tent about the same size as the last one they went to. The woman who ran this station had short dulled orange hair and was very nice. She would give encouraging words and reassuring smiles to the children when they would wince at the diagnostic spells casted upon them, as these did sting a little. This became the same for Yuuri, as the kids found his presence quite comforting, and so all the children wanted him to hold their hands when it would be their turn.

"Do you think I could help out with the checkups?" the double black asked the lady in charge, whose name he learned was Karina. "Gisela's been teaching me how to better control my healing magic, and she taught me the diagnostics spells too. Is there a way I can examine some of the kids, too?" Yuuri had a great soft side for children, as shown when he is with his daughter Greta. After what he had learned his protectiveness over children grew even more. He was especially worried for them, since they were the most vulnerable.

Karina looked up with one arm across her chest and her other arm propping her chin up with her thumb and index finger. She didn't see how it would hurt for His Majesty to help out. Matter of fact, checkups were running more smoothly than before he arrived. The kids just could not take the little stinging sensation from when being checked on. However she did feel like she was going to make him work more than he should, but then again he was volunteering. How can one turn away volunteers for a good cause?

"Oh, I don't see why you can't," she finally said with a small smile and a shrug of her shoulders. "You can take the empty station, that bed in the right corner by the entrance." She handed him a sheet of paper. "Please fill out the name, age, and gender of each child assigned to you, as well as your observations while examining each of them. Once this is filled out just hand this to me so I may give you another one."

Wolfram watched in a chair in the corner at where Yuuri was stationed, while Conrad had left to talk with Gisela back at the large tent. He liked watching Yuuri work with these kids, finding it nice to know that he was willing to do more than that is expected of him. Each child that came to him would hold his hand while he performed the diagnostics, being told that they were being brave for enduring the small pains of the spells. This reminded him of whenever the two of them would hold Greta's hands when she had to get shots for viral illnesses that children caught the most, and how she would wince when the needles would prick into her arms. Then Gisela would tell her that she did a good job and that she was becoming a brave little princess because she was. He was proud of Greta for being brave that time, and now he was being proud of Yuuri for providing the same support he would give to their daughter when she needed it. That also made him proud of the kids for behaving. Like Yuuri, Wolfram had a soft side for children too.

"Hey Wolf, do you mind helping me?" The blonde snapped out of his thoughts to look at Yuuri, who was now handling a pair of pink-haired twins. "I'm going to need both hands in order to perform two spells at the same time, so I was wondering if you could help them out while I checked them."

"Yeah, sure Yuuri..." Wolfram got up from his seat and sat on the bed next to the small pair of 48-year-old twin sisters. They unexpectedly climbed onto his lap and grabbed each of his hands, squeezing them tight. He blushed at this, having been totally off-guard for when that happened. From below, Yuuri was sitting on the stool laughing.

"The kids sure like you too, Wolfram."

Wolfram sighed with a smile on his face. "I guess so." He looked to the girls, who were sitting on one leg each as well as holding one hand in between their own. "Now close your eyes tight and just stay calm. This will be over before you know it." They looked back at him and nodded before shutting their eyes and turning back to their "doctor". There were no words to how the blonde was being taken away by how cute this was.

The girls jumped when Yuuri lifted both his hands to above their foreheads, bright green light emitting from his palms. They trembled from feeling the stings all over their bodies, and squeezed Wolfram's hands tighter. Wolfram whispered that it would not take any longer, and he was right. Both girls relaxed when the green light was gone from Yuuri's hands. Now that the checkup was over, they hopped off of Wolfram's lap.

"Good job, you two," the double black smiled. "Both of you did wonderful. Now go outside and you'll see a lady with green hair who will take you to see your mother, m'kay?" They nodded. "Oh, and you should say thank you to Wolfram. He was the one who made sure you were brave until the end."

The pink-haired twins turned around and flashed smiles at him. They squealed a "Thank-a you, Mist-a Wolfram!" before exiting the tent from where they first entered. Wolfram was not prepared for that, either, and so his cheeks became tinted with a light shade of pink that could rival the girls' pink hair once more. Yuuri patted his blushing fiancé on the back before telling him that he would be needing his services again. A group of quintuplets have just entered and said group was assigned to the double black and his new blonde assistant.

* * *

"So what are the results?" Conrad asked Gisela after he left Yuuri and Wolfram at the children's tent. "Anything serious?" Ever since he heard that a new True Form era would be starting soon at the castle, he had to make sure everything was fine. He had to make sure the healer ran some tests in order to determine what had come to his mind may or may not be true. Hopefully what he was thinking was not true.

Gisela understood why he was so worried. She was just as worried as she was, to be truthful. She had followed his request from when preparations were being made to head into town in the first place, taking out the blood samples she needed to perform the tests. Before leaving the castle she had gotten her results after using most of her time checking the blood samples she had from when she was taking volunteers for donating blood in case of medical emergencies a couple weeks prior.

In the folder she held with her clipboard, was the paper which contained the results from her tests. She pulled this folder and set it on top of her clipboard, opening it up to take out that one piece of paper. The double green held up so she may read to him what she had concluded.

Her news satisfied Conrad, bringing a relieved smile to his lips. He closed his eyes and sighed. So there was nothing to worry about, well at least with Conrad's original problem. It was a good thing he went to Gisela before they left, otherwise he would not have been able to ask her about this since they were going to be here in town all day. Now he knew that His Majesty was perfectly fine.

"So that means..." He opened his eyes once more.

"Yes, Sir Weller," she replied. "King Yuuri will not be suffering from the effects of the transformation." She knew that some half-breeds are capable of transforming, so it would be obvious that His Majesty might be in danger because of that. "And I don't know why you keep asking for to have yourself be tested. It is already clear that you are safe from the transformation as well."

"You never know when the results might turn out differently."

"... I suppose you're right."

* * *

Around the end of the sunset did Yuuri, Wolfram, and Conrad decide to go home. Gisela remained in the village since there were still many people who needed to be checked, and so was put in charge of both the healers and half of the soldiers that stayed behind to protect them. Yuuri was glad he was able to help the villagers in some way, as was Wolfram. They did make a good team when they were looking at the children, who loved them so. In fact, they had to leave ten minutes later than they were planning because of this. Nothing could get in the way of their soft spots for the younglings.

"We'll have to continue this tomorrow," Conrad informed them. "Earlier one of Gwendal's troops was sent into town while you two were working with the kids. He said that many of the full-blooded Mazoku in the human lands are planning to travel back here to Shin Makoku for checkups. Also, this way there is a better chance of protecting the humans from any attacks in case there are any sudden transformations."

"This is going smoothly so far," Yuuri said. "I mean, everyone that's been checked so far are completely healthy, according to Gisela. When Wolfram and I were working in the children's tent there were no signs of the Obsidian Gashes on any of the kids. That's a relief." He glanced at Wolfram, who has been silent the entire ride back to the castle. "You okay, Wolf? Usually you're not this quiet."

The blonde snapped out of whatever he was thinking about and looked to him. "Just tired, that's all. For some reason I haven't been getting much sleep, lately, but overall it's nothing serious. Plus, working with those children tuckered me out." He yawned softly, holding his hand to his mouth. A couple days before today, Wolfram has been having troubles sleeping at night. It was probably from working so hard, he presumed, and so ignored it. But then when he had to do paperwork for his troops, he would end up falling asleep. Many times he was caught doing so, equaling lectures from his eldest stepbrother about slacking off and also the importance of sleep at night. It was nothing he couldn't handle, though.

What was scaring him now was when he started listing the symptoms in his head. Major fatigue was a critical symptom of the True Form transformation, but that couldn't be the case. He hasn't even shown signs of the Obsidian Gashes... yet. It was just from work, that's all. Shaking his head to keep himself awake and upright on his horse, he looked up to the path they were taking back to the castle.

* * *

She looked at herself in the mirror that was provided in her cell. The Obsidian Gashes have now spread to her left shoulder in just one day, and this made her worry. Because she contracted the marks before everyone else, does this mean she would turn into a monster before everyone else as well. She hoped this was not the case. She didn't want to hurt anybody, especially her family.

Cassandra Ryller shook her head, watching her pale blue locks bounce upon her shoulders as she did this. She knew she had to stay strong, for everyone. His Majesty is going to do the best he could, she knew. She admired his perseverance, and wanted that to rub off on her. Taking a few deep breaths, she washed her face with the water from the sink to cool herself off. Then she lied back down on the bed, where her book was under the pillow.

_His Majesty will save me_, she thought. _He will help and therefore save Shin Makoku from this nightmare. I just need to hang in there until the solution is taken out, and then I'll be okay. Carter is watching Caitlin and Calisto, and they're fine. It's just me for now. _She told herself over and over that she was going to be fine, for the best way to fend off the Obsidian Gashes was to think positive. The marks spread faster by feeding off negative emotions, after all.

* * *

Greta kissed her fathers on the cheeks before running off to her own room so she may go to bed that night. At first she was planning on sleeping in the same room as them, but then she decided against it. She saw how they were both so tired, and so declared that she would be reading her own bedtime stories. Wolfram thought she was really becoming an independent woman even at the early age of ten. Yuuri did not like this at all, and also feared for his life that she was going to read one of those Poison Lady Anissina books again.

Since there was no paperwork to attend to, Yuuri knew it was safe to go to bed. He was about to slip into the covers when he saw Wolfram sitting at the desk they shared. In the blonde's hands, he could see, were small slips of paper. Standing up straight Yuuri walked over and wrapped his arms around his fiancé's neck from behind, reading the papers.

"You're going to reschedule?" he asked Wolfram, to which the other nodded.

"Yeah, with the True Form era coming up I know that I would have to. I'm resetting the date to two months from now just to be safe, if you don't mind."

"Sure, that should be enough time..." He let go of Wolfram and stood at his side. "Wolfram, I promise you that this will happen. We've been planning this for a long time, and I'm not ready on giving up on it."

"Neither am I."

"Good, because I know you've been waiting for this for a long time." He looked at the cards, and smirked. "It's a good thing we haven't even sent these yet, otherwise we'd have to post new ones." Patting Wolfram on the shoulder, which was exposed because of his frilly pink off-the-shoulder nightgown, he said, "Come on, let's go to bed. We have to go back to town tomorrow and check more of the kids."

Wolfram looked at him and nodded. "Okay, I'll be there soon." While Yuuri went into the bed and started to fall asleep, emerald green eyes moved back to the cards in his hands. It was true, he had been waiting for so long to see this sort of card being sent out. They had been planning for it for the past three months now, but with this True Form era on the way he knew that rescheduling was necessary. He knew he was being selfish for even thinking about this at the moment, but he couldn't help it. These cards have been sitting in his own room for so long, and he still found it embarrassing when he first made these _on his own_ and _in secret_ before.

Sighing, he put the cards to the far corner of the desk so they could barely be seen. He knew those cards meant little to him now, now that he had Yuuri. These cards were just another piece of evidence of how much they loved each other, so he no longer felt like they were needed. Yuuri promises that this event would happen, but he felt like he didn't need it to happen anymore. They loved each other, and that was it. He didn't need a celebration to explain that.

Before he turned off the light so he may join Yuuri in bed, these words could be seen on the cards.

_It all started with a meeting at the castle...  
A cultural misunderstanding that turned into something more...  
The blessing of a beautiful daughter...  
Many tearful challenges that came between us...  
And now...  
We finally unite as one..._

_Please join us in celebrating the marriage of the 27th Maoh of Shin Makoku Yuuri Shibuya and His Consort Wolfram von Bielefeld on _._._ at the altar of Shinou._

The unfilled area was where the date once stood.

* * *

**And... SCENE! Chapter 2 is DONE! BOOYAH!**

**My apologies for not writing so much for these KKM-fics I have here, even if I've been on winter break for almost three weeks now. I've been busy with beta reading, reading fanfics, and writing up some stuff for a couple stories listed in the Coming Soon section of my bio. Especially for a fic in which the title's acronym would be HDD *perverted grin* And before people start looking through my bio, no it is not a KKM story. Also, I've recently started reading Black Butler fanfics and I am really getting hooked on any Cielois stories that I find interesting, so you can probably blame that for my procrastination. Plus, I go back to school on the 14th. *sigh***

**I promise that there will be more drama in the next chapter!**

**Damn, writing this chapter was HARD! No, actually writing anything that did not involve Wolfram's emotions was considered hard. So, sorry for not much detail about Yuuri but more on Wolfram. It's just that his actions are going to be REALLY important for the story as it progresses. Also, for some reason whenever I'm writing about Wolfram almost everything is so complex. Why Wolfie-chan, why you inspire me so?**

**I based the invitation off of what was said on the invitation for my parents' wedding. The one thing I kept the same was the part "The blessing of a beautiful daughter..." because it fits for Greta. (WARNING: RANT UP AHEAD! If you want to skip this, please scroll down until you reach the next paragraph!) And speaking of marriage, I went to Confirmation classes yesterday (please do not tell my Catholic family that I ship yaoi) and I was assigned to talk about the sacrament of Holy Matrimony. The teachers tried asking me questions which I answered easily because I read to many fanfics and watch too much television and at that point made them shocked that I and one other girl out of twenty five kids know what shotgun weddings are. Then someone asked if gay marriage at a church counts as the sacrament, teacher said no because "we may accept them in society because they are people, but we do not accept their way of life". I just wanted to flip a table and say "Well fuck this! I accept their way of life, dammit! They should be better accepted that way! You just say that because the people here are homophobic!" and then stomp out of that class, but I couldn't because then I'll be in trouble for going against the "teachings of the Church". I frickin' hate homophobes, I frickin' hate how those who practice things that are considered "wrong" are not accepted (yaoi, yuri, incest, etc.), and I frickin' hate how these people are not being accepted because of religion! I mean seriously people, can we just get along? But I suppose not! And this is why I love the things like fanservice shown in anime, it gives support to these things and shows the audience that we can accept the so-called "forbidden" stuff out there. Hopefully America will learn to accept these things like Japan... *sigh* Why did I say all this stuff to you all? I seriously have no idea, but it's good to get that off my chest. Shinou, I've been spending way too much time with the Anime Kickass Club; this is just a group of friends and me, and we tell each other all these rants on stuff that circle the world's social problems and shit, then one girl in the group Lazaria says that we should be a group that rants to the society... And to think that group started because of her rant on coffee, which then led to homophobia and religion... *sighs again* And this concludes this episode of "Anime Kickass Club Reacts: Mars Edition" For those who made it all the way through this, I applaud you for putting up with me. Thank you.**

**REVIEWS! I really want feedback on your opinions on my story! I just get so pumped to write whenever I wake up to get a review for a specific story when I check my email in the morning! I am like a car, I need fuel in order to run. This story will not be going anywhere if I don't have some fuel in my tank! Somebody take me to a pit stop and make sure my car is filled with reviews so I can keep on writing!**

**Until next chapter, my dear chō kawaii akuma! (aka super cute demons, I'll go find another way of calling you readers that later) But with the pace I'm at, don't be surprised if you get an update on this a month...**


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